1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a management device of an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, to a management system of an image forming apparatus that uses an electro-photographic method, in which an electrostatic latent image is formed via projection of image light upon an electrically charged surface of a photoreceptor, which latent image is then developed and transferred to paper via an intermediate transfer body. The management system includes the management device which advises the user of various statuses/conditions regarding the need to change or replenish consumable supplies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there are multiple apparatuses that achieve service operation efficiency by predicting abnormal occurrences based upon status information of the image forming apparatus. According to the system of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-215986, abnormal occurrences are predicted based upon the actual number of occurrences of anomalies. According to the apparatus and diagnostic method of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-164800, abnormal occurrence information of the copying unit and status information at the time of the abnormal occurrence are collected on a server and with statistical processing the common factor among specific anomalies is identified. According to the system and method of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-175328, determination of the factor behind abnormal occurrences is determined by the integration of information from the mounted components such as the sensor or counter of the copying unit.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-215986 discloses that the types of abnormal occurrences that can be predicted are limited due to the information obtained being confined to the number of anomalies. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-164800 discloses that an increase in network work load occurs because the information being obtained from the copying unit is sent to a server via a network. Also, there is an increase in system configuration cost due to the need of a server capable of handling the work load of collection and processing of information from the multitude of copying units that are on the market. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-175328 discloses that the execution of abnormal occurrence prediction within the copying unit achieves a small work load on the management system but the use of neural networks or Bayesian inference and such, with large calculation work loads, for abnormal occurrence determination give rise to the possible delay of the other operations of the copying unit such as the delay of image processing, mechanical control, and loss of speed.